Bachelor's in the USA: Top Universities, Fees, Visa & Scholarships

Pursuing a bachelor's degree in the USA offers excellent academic opportunities and a chance to experience diverse cultures. With world-renowned universities, a wide range of programs, and various scholarships, it's a popular destination for international students.

Here's a guide to help you navigate top universities, fees, visa requirements, and scholarship options.

Why study in the USA?

• The USA has some of the top-ranking universities to choose from.
• The American universities offer numerous subjects so that students can select the best for them.
• One can learn an interesting activity along with their majors.
• Students have the option to participate in sports and performing arts events.
• Some of the notable names in the world have graduated from the universities of the USA.

The American undergraduate education system is based on the idea of liberal arts and sciences. You have the option of studying any of the numerous subjects along with your field of study. After you have completed a certain number of credits in your chosen field of study, you will be awarded a Bachelor’s degree.

You should know something more about study in USA. The credit hours are equivalent to the number of hours spent each week in the classroom. Every study program has a specific number of credits, and each university has its own criteria for the number of credits required to graduate. The degree for a Bachelor’s in the USA takes four years to complete.

The first step to pursuing undergraduate studies in the United States is researching your choices and finding a university that is suitable for you.

Top 10 Universities for a Bachelor's in the USA

Here are the top 10 universities for a degree of Bachelor’s in the USA:

QS Rank 2024	University	Average Annual Tuition Fee	Scholarships
#1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	$53,790	Need-based financial aid; full coverage for families earning < $140,000
#4	Harvard University	$55,587	Need-based financial aid; over 70% of students receive financial assistance
#5	Stanford University	$56,169	Need-based aid; full demonstrated need met for all admitted students
#10	University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	$14,226 (In-state) / $44,008 (Out-of-state)	Merit-based and need-based scholarships, including Regents' and Chancellor’s
#11	University of Chicago	$63,981	Need-based financial aid; 100% of demonstrated need met
#12	University of Pennsylvania	$62,000	Merit-based and need-based scholarships available
#13	Cornell University	$63,200	Need-based financial aid; various merit-based scholarships
#15	California Institute of Technology (Caltech)	$56,646	Need-based financial aid; 100% of demonstrated need met
#16	Yale University	$62,250	Need-based financial aid; 100% of demonstrated need met
#23	Columbia University	$65,524	Need-based and merit-based scholarships; diverse financial support options

Universities for Bachelor's Degrees in the USA

Detailed information on the top 10 universities offering Bachelor’s degrees in the USA is given below.

1. California Institute of Technology – Caltech

Each year, over a thousand bright students join the California Institute of Technology, or as it is fondly known, Caltech. The university is known for its research work. Approximately 90% of Caltech’s undergraduate students participate in research projects lasting 3 to 4 months.

With 300 faculty members and approximately 600 research scholars, the academic staff at Caltech give their complete attention and resources to discoveries and new challenges. Teachers collaborate with students to create an interdisciplinary learning environment.

Eligibility Requirements

The requirements for a Bachelor’s at Caltech are given below:

Requirements for Bachelor’s at Caltech
Qualification	Entry Criteria
12th	No specific cut off mentioned
	Applicants must have passed 12th
	3 years of English (4 years recommended)
TOEFL	No specific cut off mentioned
SAT	No specific cut off mentioned

 

2. Stanford University

Stanford University has the largest campus in the USA. It has more than 700 buildings. Close to 97% of the undergraduate students live on campus. There are more than 2,000 faculty members, with 22 Nobel laureates among them.

The alumni boast of thirty billionaires, seventeen astronauts, eleven government officials, and founders of reputed companies like Google, Nike, Yahoo!, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and more.

Eligibility Requirements

Here are the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree at Stanford University:

Requirements for Bachelor’s at Stanford University
Qualification	Entry Criteria
12th	No specific cut off mentioned
	Recommended to complete the necessary coursework to apply
	Should have studied any of the following Subjects:
	English
	Mathematics
	History/Social Studies
	Science
	Foreign Language
TOEFL	No specific cut off mentioned
SAT	No specific cut off mentioned

 

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

MIT or Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the best institutions to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in science and technology and also cultivate creative thinking.

Some of the significant results due to research at MIT include the chemical synthesis of penicillin, high-speed photography, inertial guidance systems for space programs, the first biomedical prosthetic device, and the magnetic core memory for digital computers.

The alumni of MIT have established companies like Intel, Texas Instruments, McDonnell Douglas, Bose, Qualcomm, Dropbox, Genentech, and others.

Eligibility Requirement

Here are the eligibility requirements for a Bachelor’s degree at MIT:

Requirements for Bachelor’s at MIT
Qualification	Entry Criteria
12th	No specific cut off mentioned
	Applicants must have passed 12th
	The following courses are recommended:
	4 years of English
	Mathematics, at least to the level of calculus
	Two or more years of history / social studies
	Biology
	Chemistry
	Physics
	While these courses are not required but students having studied these courses would have higher probability to get admission
TOEFL	Marks – 90/120
SAT	No specific cut off mentioned
PTE	65%
IELTS	Marks – 7/9

 

4. Princeton University

Princeton University offers research facilities with liberal arts courses. The study courses combine study, with seminars or lectures initiated by students on a broad range of subjects. The University has more than 1,100 faculty members in 34 academic departments, and 75 centers and institutes.

The Princeton undergraduate students’ main research areas are natural sciences, engineering, applied science, humanities, and social sciences. Accommodation is guaranteed for students pursuing undergraduate studies, and almost all the students live on campus.

Eligibility Requirements

The requirements for Bachelor’s degree at Princeton University are given below:

Requirements for Bachelor’s at Princeton University
Qualification	Entry Criteria
12th	No specific cut off mentioned
	Applicants must have passed 12th and are expected to study the following subjects:
	Four years of English (including continued practice in writing)
	Four years of mathematics
	Four years of one foreign language
	At least two years of laboratory science
	At least two years of history
TOEFL	No specific cut off mentioned
SAT	No specific cut off mentioned
PTE	No specific cut off mentioned
IELTS	No specific cut off mentioned

 

5. Harvard University

Harvard University is one of the USA's most popular Ivy League schools. It was established in 1636, making it one of the oldest universities in the US. The university has a large academic library with 80 libraries. It includes a division of Continuing Education, that is, Harvard Extension School and Harvard Summer School.

It boasts of 48 Pulitzer Prize winners and 47 Nobel laureates. The alumni also include 32 heads of state who have graduated from Harvard. The famous personalities who studied at Harvard are Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, and many more.

Eligibility Requirements

Here are the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree at Harvard University:

Requirements for Bachelor’s at Harvard University
Qualification	Entry Criteria
12th	No specific cut off mentioned
	Applicants must have passed high school
	Required Subjects:
	English for four years: close and extensive reading of the classics of the world’s literature
	Four years of a single foreign language
	History for at least two years, and preferably three years: American history, European history, and one additional advanced history course
	Mathematics for four years
	Science for four years: physics, chemistry, and biology, and preferably one of these at an advanced level
SAT	No specific cut off mentioned

 

6. Yale University

The undergraduate school of Yale University, Yale College, offers approximately 2,000 undergraduate study programs in the sciences and liberal arts. The faculty at Yale has reputed professors teaching introductory-level courses.

The research at Yale University has led to significant contributions to the medical and health sector. Some of the achievements include antibiotics and the use of chemotherapy to treat cancer. The scientists at the university have identified Lyme disease and the genes causing high blood pressure, dyslexia, osteoporosis, and Tourette’s syndrome. The creation of the insulin pump for the first time and work on the artificial heart took place at Yale.

Eligibility Requirements

The requirements for a Bachelor’s at Yale University are given below:

Requirements for Bachelor’s at Yale University
Qualification	Entry Criteria
12th	No specific cut off mentioned
	Applicants must have passed High school/Diploma/Certificate
IELTS	Marks – 7/9

 

7. University of Chicago

The faculty of the University of Chicago has an interdisciplinary approach to research. It spans a wide range of studies from arts to education, medicine, and engineering. UChicago, as the university is fondly known, is famous for its research. It has led to breakthroughs such as the discovery of the link between cancer and genetics, revolutionary theories of economics, and so on.

John D. Rockefeller, a famous American businessman, co-founded the University. It combines an American-style undergraduate liberal arts college with a German-style graduate research university. Its success is evident in an undergraduate alumni population of more than 5,500 students.

Eligibility Requirements

The requirements for a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Chicago are given below:

Requirements for Bachelor’s at the University of Chicago
Qualification	Entry Criteria
12th	No specific cut off mentioned
	Applicants must have passed 12th
	Applicants are recommended to study the following courses:
	4 years of English
	3–4 years of math (through pre-calculus recommended)
	3–4 years of laboratory sciences
	3 or more years of social sciences
	Foreign language study (2-3 years recommended)
Graduation	No specific cut off mentioned
Post Graduation	No specific cut off mentioned
TOEFL	No specific cut off mentioned
ACT	N/A
SAT	No specific cut off mentioned
IELTS	Marks – 7/9

 

8. University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania has an investment of more than 700 million USD every year in R&D or research & development. It makes it one of the best research universities in the US.

Research focuses on the fields of medicine, business, technology, science, and more. Penn was established in 1740 and was focused on the liberal arts and sciences, having 4 undergraduate schools.

Eligibility Requirements

Here are the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania:

Requirements of Bachelor’s at University of Pennsylvania
Qualification	Entry Criteria
12th	No specific cut off mentioned
	Applicant must have completed a high school diploma or equivalent
TOEFL	No specific cut off mentioned
	Competitive applicants tend to have a composite score of 100 or above with demonstrated consistency across the four sections of the exam (reading, listening, speaking, and writing)

 

9. John Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University is one of the oldest research universities, established in 1876. It has approximately 20,000 students on its three campuses in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Md., and institutions in the Baltimore-Washington area, Italy, and China. The main campus in Homewood has over 4,700 undergraduate students.

Eligibility Requirements

The requirements for a Bachelor’s degree at the Johns Hopkins University are given below:

Requirements for Bachelor’s at Johns Hopkins University
Qualification	Entry Criteria
12th	No specific cut off mentioned
	Minimum Requirements:
	Applicants must have passed high school.
IELTS	No specific cut off mentioned
	A score of 7.0 or higher on each band is expected on IELTS.

 

10. University of California, Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley Lab is reputed for its chemical research. It has discovered sixteen chemical elements, which gives it the fame of most discoveries in any of the universities in the world. The Manhattan Project was developed for the first atomic bomb with physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer as the scientific director at this university. Alumni, Faculty, and researchers have won 72 Nobel Prizes and other prestigious awards collectively.

The university has 14 colleges and schools, more than 120 departments, and over 80 interdisciplinary research units attended by a significant population of international students.

Eligibility Requirements

The requirements for a Bachelor’s degree at the University of California are given below:

Requirements for Bachelor’s at the University of California
Qualification	Entry Criteria
12th	70%
	Minimum Requirements:
	Applicants must complete both year X and XII state board or CBSE examinations, with average marks above 70 and no mark below 60, or earn a grade point average (GPA) of 3.4 or better in these courses with no grade lower than a C.
	2 Years of History
	4 Years of English
	3 Years of Mathematics
	2 Years of Science
	2 Years of Language other than English *or equivalent to the 2nd level of high school instruction
	1 Year of Visual and performing arts
IELTS	Marks – 6.5/9

Other Top Colleges for Bachelors in the USA

The University of Chicago The University of Pennsylvania

*Wish to study in USA? Y-Axis is here to help you.

Bachelors in the USA Key Benefits

Here are a few reasons why you should study in the US.

• Top Ranking Universities

The universities in the US, like MIT, Stanford, Harvard, or Yale, are crème de la crème, the best among the universities. There are more than 150 American universities and colleges that have earned their place in the global rankings according to the Times Higher Education, QS Rankings, TopUniversities, and others.

For those interested in quality education, an undergraduate degree from the US should be high on the preference list. There is something for everyone, and you can enroll in any field or major you can think of.

• Inexpensive Tuition fees

The higher education system in America is inexpensive. You will discover a substantial number of affordable study programs. The annual tuition fees would be approximately 5,000 USD or less. On the other hand, you can find multiple study programs at Ivy League universities that easily cost more than 50,000 USD per year.

• Academic flexibility

The flexibility enjoyed by students in America is not common in most other countries. In many cases, you do not need to choose a major until the 2nd year of your study program. It is an advantage since many undergraduate degrees take four years to complete.

It implies that you can try out multiple subjects and classes and go for what interests you.

• Unique student life and on-campus experiences

Campus life in the universities can be described anywhere from vibrant to exciting or even over-the-top. Much similar to how it is shown in American movies or shows.

If parties do not interest you, don’t worry. You have the option to take up sports or join a club, be it drama, music, or anything else. You can also support and volunteer for a cause that interests you.

• Travel and explore amazing sights and tourist attractions

While you study in the USA, you will have the chance to see some of the most aesthetic and picturesque natural and man-made structures in the world.

From the Grand Canyon to the Yellowstone National Park, from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Statue of Liberty, from Alcatraz Island to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. These and many other unique sights and structures are ready to leave you speechless.

Hopefully, the information given above provided you with the clarity to choose the best university for yourself.

How can Y-Axis assist you in studying in the USA?

Y-Axis is the right mentor to advise you on studying in the USA. It helps you with

• Choose the best path for you with the help of Y-Path.
• Coaching services, assist you to ace your IELTS test results with our live classes. This helps you to score well on the exams required to study in the US. Y-Axis is the only overseas consultancy that provides world-class coaching services.
• Get counseling and advice from proven experts to advise you in all the steps.
• Course Recommendation: get unbiased advice with Y-Path that puts you on the right path to success.
• Guides and assists you in writing commendable SOPs and Resumes.

Other services

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